DxD: DO System Chapter 43

Chapter 43: The Gremorys

Having been invited to the Gremory Estate, Issei expected to be introduced to the members of the house, spend an hour or two talking, perhaps sit through an extended monologue about how wonderful Rias was, followed by some food and then discussions about training.

Well, the Gremorys decided to combine all of those into one.

‘Do the noble families waste this much time every day waiting for everyone to be at the table?’ Issei groaned internally as servants served food, even though the chairs for the Lord and Lady of the house were still empty.

‘You’d be amazed how inefficient they can be despite having a civilization of servants,’ Ddraig scoffed, sharing the same annoyance as Issei.

Luckily, as the group chatted away and Issei waited, hoping to snag at least a bite of food — even though it was obvious they wouldn't start until the head of the family showed up — he finally heard footsteps.

From a staircase that seemed to stretch into an almost infinite height, he saw two figures walking down side by side.

To the left was a man with long, well-maintained crimson hair that fell well past his shoulders. He had light blue eyes with a hint of green and a neatly trimmed goatee. His attire was predominantly white with golden accents and a black collar.

‘He definitely knows his style,’ Issei mused as the man’s crimson hair rested on the black collar, a striking contrast that complemented the red-and-white palette.

Issei had to admit, if nothing else, the Gremory family had their crimson hair to take pride in.

However, it wasn’t the man who truly caught his attention — it was the beautiful woman beside him.

She had a roughly cut yet striking shade of brownish-gold hair.

‘What do you even call that color?’ Issei wondered, staring at her hair to a degree most would find uncomfortable. ‘It’s like a mix of brown, gold, and yellow, like flax seeds.’

‘Flaxen is a color, kid.’

‘Oh.’

With this newfound understanding, Issei focused on her other features — large violet eyes, which he considered one of the rarest shades, flawless skin like most devils, small yet full lips, and an ample chest.

Issei emphasized ample because they were probably the largest he had ever seen.

Yes, even larger than Akeno’s — likely the biggest so far.

Even her dress was exquisite. It resembled a type of gown — off-shoulder, frilly, and leaving very little to the imagination regarding her bust.

‘That cleavage has to be illegal.’

‘Oi! Don’t get influenced by the pervert virus of this body!’ Ddraig warned, though Issei wished resisting it was as easy as Ddraig made it sound.

“We apologize for the wait,” the crimson-haired man announced. “We just returned from an important discussion.”

“Apologies.” The woman gave a polite bow as they finally reached the ground. “You should have started if you were hungry.”

“It’s fine, Mother,” Rias replied with a smile. “We were expecting to have it with you.”

Issei noted how Rias called her Mother instead of Mom or something more casual. He guessed it was due to her noble upbringing.

‘Still, there’s affection in her voice,’ he thought.

So how she addressed her mother didn’t really matter.

“Well, then excuse us,” the man said, pulling out the chair for his wife before seating himself.

He sat at the head of the table with his wife to his right. Rias sat next to her father, followed by Akeno and the rest of her peerage.

There didn’t seem to be a rigid seating arrangement beyond Rias’s queen sitting beside her, which made Issei wonder if this was common for all devil families or unique to the Gremorys.

“I know that we have met countless times — some of you spent much of your childhood here, and we are practically family,” the head of the house declared. “However, since there are a few new faces among us, allow me to give a formal introduction.” He glanced at Issei and Asia.

“I am Zeoticus Gremory, the current head of the House of Gremory, father to Rias Gremory and Sirzechs Lucifer —the current Satan Lucifer— and a man who considers everyone at this table his family.”

Issei and Asia both gave polite, respectful bows, waiting for the woman to introduce herself.

“And I am the mother of Rias and Sirzechs,” she said with a smile. “Venelana Gremory, née Bael, the wife of Lord Zeoticus. As my husband said, consider me part of your family.”

Once again, Issei and Asia followed suit, giving her a slight bow. Realizing they were being looked to for an introduction, Issei stood up.

“My name is Issei Hyoudou, the current generation’s Red Dragon Emperor and a recently turned devil under Rias’ peerage,” he stated. “I stand as her pawn.”

Immediately, although nervous, Asia also stood up. “I-I am Asia Argento. I was saved by Rias, and I now stand as her bishop.”

The last part she copied from Issei, unsure of how to express her position. While most would have phrased it as serving the devil as a pawn or a bishop, Issei found that wording insulting and irritating. As for Asia, she served under only one being—one she couldn’t even call upon without suffering a headache at the moment.

“The Red Dragon Emperor,” Zeoticus said, looking at Issei with keen interest. “There hasn’t been a single Dragon Emperor, be it the White or the Red, who hasn’t made a name for themselves.”

And, well, none of them had lived for very long either.

But he left that part out.

“And Twilight Healing,” Venelana said, a knowing smile gracing her lips. “A rare and extremely useful Sacred Gear. Both of you are gems,” she said warmly. “But I want to make one thing clear.”

Both Issei and Asia focused their attention on the Lady, looking directly at her as she continued.

“To us, it doesn’t matter what you possess—whether it’s a gear, a rare bloodline gift, or nothing at all.” She maintained her smile and calm expression. “To us, you are family, irrespective of your powers or roots. That is the Gremory motto, and I hope you will both keep it in your hearts.”

Issei and Asia nodded but refrained from speaking out of turn out of respect for the hierarchy—a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by the Lady of the House.

“And don’t be so stiff,” she chuckled. “You can relax and speak freely. As I said before, we are family.”

This repeated emphasis on being a family reminded Issei of a certain bald man, but he quickly shook the image out of his head and refocused on the people before him.

“So, tell me, Issei and Asia,” Zeoticus said, drawing their attention, “how do you like the Underworld?”

“I-It’s pretty,” Asia said, genuinely finding the place beautiful.

“Mystical,” Issei replied. “I cannot seem to figure out the magic surrounding it. The sky, the plants, and the lifeforms feel fascinating to me.”

“You can tell it’s artificially made?” Venelana asked, her tone both amused and impressed.

“I cannot tell by looking at them directly,” Issei admitted honestly. “But I can sense it in the surroundings. The air is different and dense, the sky isn’t natural, and the sun being in the Underworld doesn’t make sense. But without knowing that, it all looks quite seamless.”

The Lady nodded, while Zeoticus decided to elaborate.

“It’s because when the Evil Pieces and the concept of peerages were first introduced, the first reincarnated devils had a lot of trouble adjusting to the Underworld. So, to make it easier for them, the Satans decided to remodel the place to accommodate both devils and former humans,” he explained. “And even though there were complaints, winning the war allowed them to make changes without much interference.”

Issei was aware of this, but it gave him a better sense of the immense power the Satans held in the Underworld.

Sure, they did it for the good of the reincarnated devils and to help them adjust better. But in the end, it came down to the fact that they wanted to do it, and because they could do it.

“So, how are you two liking being devils? And being in Rias’ peerage?” Venelana asked, practically with glitter in her eyes. “Are you adjusting well?”

“Mother,” Rias sighed. “They must be tired and hungry. Let them eat. We can talk later.”

“It’s fine,” Issei assured. “I’m adjusting well, and I’m grateful to Rias.” He looked at the amused girl. “Because of her, I’m earning more than I ever did, and I also have a new perspective on life.”

The parents smiled upon hearing this, happy that everything was going well.

Issei wondered how they were speaking so cheerfully, despite Rias having a meltdown and her father strictly denying her request for a postponed marriage.

‘Either they are acting, or they are genuinely weird.’

But before they could continue talking, Issei felt a certain presence.

A really, really strong presence.

“Sirzechs.”

The one who had been silent so far finally spoke —muttering the name of the person who had just entered— with his deep draconic voice.

“I’m glad you remember me, Heavenly Dragon of Domination.”

Right before Issei’s eyes, near the stairway, a certain teleportation circle formed with a modified version of the Gremory Crest.

‘No, it isn’t the Gremory one,’ Issei noticed upon a closer look. ‘It’s just the same color.’

“How could I forget the one who grew stronger than his creator?” Ddraig said, hinting at Sirzechs' superior strength, even when compared to the original Lucifer.

“I didn’t know you were able to fully manifest the Sacred Gear, Issei,” Zeoticus stated, amazed. “Most took a while before they could get the Dragon of Domination to work together with them.”

“He is unique,” Ddraig boasted, but Issei’s eyes were on the person next to Sirzechs —Grayfia.

‘So, that’s why she wasn’t around...’

He realized that she had gone to fetch Sirzechs, because even though she acted like a maid of the House Gremory, she was still Sirzechs’ queen and his wife.

“Almost the entire family is here,” Venelana said cheerily. “And once Millicas returns from his school, you will have met the whole family.”

Issei recalled Rias mentioning that devils had various types of schools, with most noble families opting for homeschooling. However, to study rare and ancient magic, they had to seek out other devils, as most of the elders didn’t visit anyone’s home simply because of their bloodline.

“Since you all still haven’t eaten yet,” Sirzechs smiled, “may I join you for breakfast?”

“Certainly,” Zeoticus laughed. “Let the family sit together after so long!”

As the Satan walked closer, Issei decided to take a peek at his status.

And boy, was he stunned.

<Race: Pure-Blood Devil>

<Rank: Peak-Master Class (sealed)>

<Warning: Being has intentionally sealed their powers. Actual powers much higher than current exhibited one.>

Issei let out a dry laugh. ‘Clearly.’

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[[A/N: The Rating game will start within the next 5 chapters.]]